Transitioning from Residential to Outpatient Treatment

Five years ago, I opened a Residential Treatment Program in Washington State. It had good success but being a perfectionist I wanted to have 100% success and some people struggled after discharge. This industry has relapse rates in the first year at roughly 60%! Relapse is something I have had a difficult time with, from my early days in Residential Treatment in 1994.  Residential Treatment is a great first step to change, but ongoing care is what is really necessary, not a few months but ongoing weekly sessions for at minimum a year. The majority of our clients relapsed because they failed to follow their treatment plans in going to support meetings and individual therapy.

People are Not Ready to Change

When I worked in Malibu in the late 1990s, I often heard my boss blame people for relapsing. “They weren’t ready to change” was his slogan. Blaming the customer doesn’t help a program improve one bit and I am not the blaming type. If something isn’t working properly, it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board and make improvements. Even if things are working fine I enjoy adding new approaches into the program to spice things up. Educating people on numerous therapy approaches is important because one approach might not do the trick and it is nice to have a variety of approaches to turn to.

I was trained in the Spiritual Psychology approach which blends clinical Psychology and Spirituality. The approach teaches people how to counsel themselves on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. After practicing this method for a month, clients learn how to master incredible healing skills. Many heal deep core issues believe they were totally healed so they avoid ongoing care. Then a month later they would relapse. Since there weren’t any outpatient facilities that provided this type of care I decided to open one up myself.

For people trying to change addictive habits or improve a mood disorder, one month is simply that – one month. Patterns that may have been going on for decades really need a long-term effort for a full-scale change. I personally went through four years of schooling on this approach where the students practiced counseling each other. It took me a few years before my most stubborn problems were healing so I personally know the need for continuing care.

You would think that most healing takes place in therapy. As a therapist I would love to claim that but, in all actuality, real healing takes place when people are providing loving support to each other. This could be the therapist of course, but I have witnessed incredible healing take place when one client bonds with another.

Outpatient Treatment You Deserve

Basic Steps Mental Health got licensed by DSHS in January of 2018. It is residential like care in an outpatient setting. Our easy pace to teaching counseling skills is great for the participants, on the staff, and it affords us with extra time to recap the lesson from the day before. No longer do I need to hurry through lessons because of the month’s limitation in Residential care. In providing ongoing Outpatient treatment, we have the luxury of extra time so the participants can absorb what we are teaching.

What is exciting is that the Outpatient Program is at night and on the weekend’s everybody is away from the building and goes on with their lives. This provides huge savings in both personal time and money. Plus, people aren’t living in a bubble and freaking out when they transition back home after being away for a month. In living home while attending the program people get to practice in real time what they are learning.

Pros and Cons of Residential Treatment

Residential treatment has great benefits. It is very effective for people that simply can not be around their substance of choice or the environment that they are in. Living at a facility in which they could focus strictly on themselves is golden. Let’s face it, it is luxurious taking a month out of life to work on yourself, get fed, and have someone clean up after you. Residential treatment is the best option for people who are really sick and tired of being sick and tired. Plus it was great for me to have a captive audience to practice my comedy routine on. Unfortunately, insurance funds are more and more limited, and many people can not afford the time away or money to do so.

Do I miss Residential Treatment? There is a big part of myself that does. Therapy in residential treatment takes place on hikes, the late night campfire, at the dinner table, and of course while watching movies. A family atmosphere is created there, but to be honest it was difficult in bonding with people for a month and then watching them leave, mostly never to be seen again. In the Outpatient program these bonds are being established in a different way, through fun-filled outings, singing Karaoke together, and doing creative projects together – but the best perk is – I get to go to my own home, I get to have a social life, and the Mariners games are just a quick drive away.

Get Started Today

Let’s get you into our next training and get you back firmly on your feet.

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